Introduction: the importance of cartoons, caricature, and satirical art in imperial contexts

On the evening of Wednesday, 30 November 1892, the cartoonist Edward Linley Sambourne freshened himself up with a Turkish bath before departing as usual for his regular editorial dinner meeting at Punch. The permanent staff and proprietors of the London Charivari had held such meetings almost since the birth of the magazine in 1841, and around the mahogany table in the upstairs room, all manner of discussions were to be had, and decisions to be made, as to the content of the coming week's issue. While key staff members were responsible for particular aspects of the magazine, the ebb and flow of conversation around the table meant that much of what appeared in Punch was a collective effort, by a group of men (and they were all men) of differing opinions and personalities. Sambourne - the junior cartoonist in a hierarchy headed by Punch's great master, John Tenniel - was particularly conscious of this culture and, more often than not, had the subject matter of his weekly cut decided for him.